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Every year the Orlando Sentinal does a college football countdown going from the team they see as the worst in college football to the best. They started at 128 with UMass as the worst team in College football.
UB clocked in at #92. The Sentinal staff believes that this season will hinge on the coaching staff’s ability to develop a strong quarterback, running back and receiver threats. I personally believe the key is going to be finding stability on the line.
Half of the teams on UB's schedule have already had their numbers called. Here is UB's schedule for the year.
| Date | Opponent | OS |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 2 | Albany Great Danes | FCS |
| Sep. 17 | at Nevada Wolf Pack | |
| Sep. 24 | Army Black Knights | 125 |
| Oct. 1 | at Boston College Eagles | |
| Oct. 8 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 107 |
| Oct. 15 | Ball State Cardinals | 104 |
| Oct. 22 | at Northern Illinois Huskies | |
| Oct. 27 | Akron Zips | 100 |
| Nov. 3 | at Ohio Bobcats | |
| Nov. 12 | Miami (OH) RedHawks | 124 |
| Nov. 19 | at Western Michigan Broncos | |
| Nov. 25 | at Bowling Green Falcons |
If you're going to ask "Hey Tim, are the bold teams the ones ranked below us or the ones we play at home"? Then my answer would be "yes".
By some fluke, all of our home games this season are against teams that UB should be able to play well or beat. I feel like Akron is ranked a little low. they lost a lot but are structurally a sound team. So "ranked below" does not, in my opinion, carry a ton of weight.
On the flip side our away games will be played against some pretty good teams. Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green all have a pretty decent shot at winning the MAC. Ohio is always competitive and BC has a very good defense.
Finally, Nevada managed a bowl game last season and any trip that far out west can be challenging.
Here are opponents who are ranked below us by the Orlando Sentinal.
Albany - Not Ranked FCS
They only cover FBS teams but I would imagine Albany, being a lower tier CAA team, would be lower ranked than UB.
This is Buffalo's "tune up game". Buffalo will have a new Quarterback, new feature linemen, and will be dealing with big losses, like Marqus Baker, on the defensive side. While this is not a game UB should be losing it's certainly not one that the Bulls should sleep on.
Army Black Knights - 125
Last time UB played Army the Black Knights option offense chewed through the Bulls defense and handed UB a big loss. The game before that, 2008, saw UB beat Army in overtime.
Kent State Golden Flashes - 107
Kent State's offense has been terrible ever since Darrell Hazell took the Flashes to an 11-2 season back in 2012.
Ball State Cardinals - 104
Was is coaching or personnel that was the problem for the last couple of seasons in Muncie? New Ball State coach Mike Neu will hope to extend BSU's winning streak against UB and the Bulls will want to beat the Cards for the first time since the 2008 MAC Championship.
Akron Zips - 100
This is a pretty low ranking for an Akron team that has steadily been improving. The Zips may have lost a lot of starters but the club is coming off of their first bowl win in school history and their improvement has been steady.
Miami Redhawks - 124
Chuck Martin is still trying to pick Miami up off the Matt. They are a better team than they were three years ago but this is still one that the Bulls should win.